MANN dedicates major exhibition to Alexander the Great

The National Archaeological Museum in Naples is hosting the exhibition Alexander the Great and the East until August 28. The major exhibition is dedicated to the extraordinary figure of Alexander (356 - 323 B.C.), the Macedonian hero who in little more than 10 years, accompanied by his faithful companions, became king ofAsia andEurope. As a man and a philosopher, a pupil of the supreme Aristotle, he loved both continents, promoting, after conquest, peace and union among the peoples subject to him. The exhibition is divided into 2 spaces: theMonumental Atrium located on the ground floor and the Sundial Hall on the second floor, with thematic references in the three historic gardens.

About 170 works from every corner of the world are on display: from ancient Persia to Gandhara. Adding to these mirabilia of the past are the numerous artifacts from the permanent collection of the MANN, the only museum in which three portraits of the Macedonian are preserved, and among them the most precious, the Mosaic of the Battle of Isso, where the hero is admired riding Bucephalus as he hurls himself at Darius on the tall chariot. This work, currently under restoration, is replaced by the reproduction placed on the carpet in the Sundial Hall, in the area where the environment of the Faun’s house is reconstructed. The opening of the exhibition coincides precisely with the beginning of the second executive phase of the epoch-making restoration of Alexander’s famous mosaic, which will be possible to follow in the coming months thanks to a ’transparent construction site’ (work is scheduled to close in March 2024).

In the exhibition, one is greeted by depictions of the Macedonian strategist on busts, gems, and sculptures, including the bust-erma in the Louvre Museum, a copy from an original by Lysippus. One then enters the secret rooms where the fate of the king of the world is announced by a prophetess with a magical shield to his mother Olympias and father Philip II. One is greeted by an enigmatic winged genie (preserved in the Louvre), a Cabyrus who offers his bride-to-be the famous Harmony necklace. The peristyle and main hall of the famous Villa of Fannius Synistor in Boscoreale, one of the greatest enigmas in art history, are for the first time fully reconstructed and explained.

In the Sundial Hall, the introduction is complemented by additional rare artifacts that tell the story of the Macedonians and Persians, including the extraordinary Vase of the Persians, dating from the second half of the 4th century B.C., where the eternal conflict, sung by Homer and later by Herodotus, between Europe and Asia, between Greece and Persia, is depicted.

The exhibition continues with Alexander’s voyages of conquest and discovery, and the account of triumphant annexation battles. Recomposed in these spaces is the group of marble equestrian statues from the sanctuary of Juno Sospita at Lanuvio, preserved partly in the British Museum, partly in Lanuvio. This is a vital piece of evidence for the reconstruction of Alexander’s famous donarius, made by Lysippus and intended to celebrate the twenty-five companions who died at the Battle of the Granicus. Admiration for Alexander by Egyptian priests and his subsequent deification, on the other hand, is recalled by the Egyptian stele from the temple of Isis at Pompeii, which shows, in hieroglyphics, references to Macedonian exploits.

Also on display are artifacts commemorating Alexander the Great’s most loyal associates. Such as Seleucus, a bodyguard always at Alexander’s side in battle, depicted in a bronze bust from the Villa of the Papyri.

During his long journey to the East (334-323 B.C.E.) Alexander founded many cities, universally admired for their grand scheme and refined urban planning techniques. These included Alexandria in Egypt, Alexandria Eschate, formerly Leninabad, and Bucefala in Pakisthan. A few centuries later, an unprecedented and enduring fusion of customs, traditions and religions was achieved in the Indo-Greek kingdoms. One example among many on display: the statue of Buddha, from Pakistan and dating from the 2nd-3rd centuries A.D., togged and with a composed smile that some believe borrowed from the divine Apollo. The extent of the phenomenon of mutual influences lasts for several centuries, and it laid the foundation for a solid relationship between Rome and the East. Traces can be found in the classical figures of Heracles with the club, kneeling Atlas, winged heroes, and Ionic capitals carved in stone. The great ancient civilizations of the East, in turn, were received and assimilated by the Greco-Latin civilization. At Pompeii in the last century a small and splendid ivory statuette of an Indian deity was found.

Asia was fertilized by Hellenistic culture. Alexander fell under the spell of theEast, married the Uzbek Roxane and set up his capital in Babylon. In Europe his memory was even more vivid. Pompey, Caesar, Augustus, were inspired by him, imitated him, copied his ways and solutions, took possession of monuments and statues dedicated to him. We see him in splendid statuary groups, portrayed as Achilles dead in the arms of Ajax or as the Homeric hero himself, representative of Europe, softening before the dying Penthesilea queen of the Amazons and allegory of conquered Persia. Colossal objects and wonders were also his legacy to the West, and among these in the exhibition two splendid examples are illustrated with incomparable objects: the Colossus of Rhodes and the Lighthouse of Alexandria.

The exhibition Alexander the Great and the East is organized by the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, directed by Paolo Giulierini, in collaboration with Electa. Curators are Filippo Coarelli and Eugenio Lo Sardo. Sponsored by the Italian Ministry of Culture, with the support of the Campania Region, the Colosseum Archaeological Park and Intesa Sanpaolo, the exhibition has the collaboration of the Museum of Civilizations in Rome and the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports.

For all information, you can visit the official MANN website.

MANN dedicates major exhibition to Alexander the Great

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